City News Cafe Back Open After Driver Fleeing Police Crashes Into Building, Owner Says Owner Joe Angelastri said the crash took place before the newsstand had opened for the day.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/16/c...

Portage Theater Restoration Advances As New Owner Takes Over Repairs Chris Bauman, of Zenith Music Group, has applied for grants and begun cleaning the interior of the historical theater, which went into receivership under the previous owner.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/13/p...

A four-story condo building with 18 units has been proposed for downtown Edison Park
blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/09/d...

Chicago's 1st Pita Inn Coming To Six Corners This Winter The family-owned Middle Eastern restaurant beloved in the suburbs is part of the redevelopment of the former Sears Auto Center on Cicero Avenue.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/09/c...

Fall-Themed October Cafe Opens 2nd Northwest Side Location In Gladstone Park Audrey Borden and Michelle Gonzalez have replicated the menu and cozy autumnal vibes of their original Norwood Park cafe, which they opened in 2023.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/02/f...

Scissor and Fork, a "definitely haunted" salon and cafe, has opened in Irving Park. blockclubchi.co/3PFWfCp

Onward House Breaks Ground On Community Center And Food Pantry In Belmont Cragin Once complete, the CARES Community Center will connect immigrants and low-income residents with free health care, food and educational resources.

Belmont Cragin will soon be home to a community hub where immigrant and low-income neighbors can access free health care, groceries, bilingual mental health services and adult education — all under one roof.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/31/o...

EP Fresh Market, Edison Park’s New Grocery Store, Has A Coffee Bar And Taqueria The store opened in early March in the former Happy Foods, which closed more than three years ago. An April 18 grand opening will feature bagpipes and mariachi.

The long-awaited EP Fresh Market has opened, bringing a fresh source of groceries, a cafe and a taqueria to Edison Park 🥑🌯🍎
blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/26/e...

New Northwest Side Nature Center Is Helping Visitors Find Wellness In The Woods Officials cut the ribbon on the Caldwell Woods Wellness Center last month. The center will host yoga classes, forest bathing sessions, craft circles and more.

The new Caldwell Woods Wellness Center will host yoga classes, forest bathing sessions, craft circles, guided wildflower walks and more 🍃🧘‍♀️🌳

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/24/n...

ICE Killed A Man Outside Chicago Last Year. Little Has Been Done To Investigate Neither the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office nor Franklin Park police chose to launch probes into the death of Silverio Villegas González. That’s in stark contrast to Minneapolis, where local off...

Four months before federal agents shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, ICE agents killed Silverio Villegas González outside Chicago

While Minnesota officials are investigating Good's death, little has been done to investigate Villegas González' death locally

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/23/i...

Printer’s Row Brewing To Host Fundraiser For NW Side Restaurant Owner With Cancer The March 23 event will support Taste of the Philippines owner Kathy Vega Hardy, who had a mastectomy. Her catering business is paused, but the restaurant is open.

“One thing I’ve learned living in Jefferson Park and now working with the business community is that when something bad happens, we all rally around one another,” Jeff Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bella Ventresca said

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/12/p...

State’s Attorney Turned ‘Blind Eye’ To ICE Abuses, Petition Says, As Demand For Special Prosecutor Grows Nearly 250 people back a petition they say is needed because Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke has failed to act. O'Neill Burke called demands for a special prosecutor "frivolous" and ...

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/12/s...

Hey Friends Cafe Launches Kickstarter To Bring Filipino Food To Portage Park Amanda Agosto, who is half Filipino, and her husband hope to open in May in the former Bistro 6050 with a menu of Filipino pastries, tea and more.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/09/h...

More than 200 neighbors attended a presentation on a proposed network of bike lanes in Portage Park, Thursday night

“The community has really responded very well to this. They’re very engaged, and I think there’s a lot of excitement" -- David Smith, CDOT

blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/06/p...

ICE arrested Nashville journalist without warrant, attorneys say The journalist, Estefany Rodriguez, was taken to a detention center and remains there as of 3 p.m. March 5.

"She frequently reported on stories critical of ICE for Nashville Noticias, the Spanish-language outlet."

www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...

A network is racing to save the Midwest’s native seeds As climate change intensifies wildfires and other extreme weather events, demand for native seeds is surging.

chicago.suntimes.com/environment/...

More Than 30 Warrantless Midway Blitz Arrests Violated Consent Decree, Judge Rules A federal judge ordered immigration officials to release those affected by his order by noon Thursday.

Of the 32 people improperly arrested without warrants, 11 are believed to still be in detention, another 11 have left the country and 10 are believed to have been released under various conditions, @mollydevore.bsky.social reports.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/27/m...

The Chicago Department of Transportation is holding a community open house to discuss a proposed Portage Park bike lane network on March 5

blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/26/p...

Chicago Could Have Its 1st Trans Alderperson As Gronkiewicz-Doran Challenges Gardiner S Gronkiewicz-Doran is a Jefferson Park lawyer, affordable housing activist and the first candidate to announce their bid against 45th Ward incumbent Ald. Jim Gardiner in the 2027 election.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/25/c...

Miss American Science & Surplus? Portage Park Vintage Shop Is Selling Its Inventory Ecclection owner Julie Alleyne stocked up on treasures from the beloved novelty shop after stumbling on a warehouse sale after it closed.

blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/24/m...

Smashing Pumpkins Played Their 1st Show At Club 21. Can Parts Of Closed Venue Be Saved? In 1988, the iconic band performed their first show at Chicago 21 Club, a Polish nightclub on the Far Northwest Side. Nearly four decades later, a local historian wants to save the long-vacant clubs' ...

Thank you @mollydevore.bsky.social & @blockclubchi.bsky.social for your story on our effort to preserve a part of this link between #SmashingPumpkins and #Chicago blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/12/s...

Know of a participating indie business missing from @blockclubchi.bsky.social list? Email newsroom@blockclubchi.org.

How Chicago Protest Music Is Meeting The Political Moment "Antifascist movements attract artists," one expert said. And Chicago has a long list of musicians who fit the bill, with a protest music history that goes back decades.

Bruce Springsteen has just released the anti-ICE protest song "Streets of Minneapolis."

Take a look at our history of local protest music: blockclubchi.co/4rkd2s8

Donate to Help Bring 5-Year-Old Liam Home, organized by sarai Orquiz Liam Adrian Cornejo Ramos is just 5 years old and currently in pre-K. Yesterday, he and h… sarai Orquiz needs your support for Help Bring 5-Year-Old Liam Home

Please help us bring Liam Adrian Cornejo Ramos (he’s only 5 years of age and is currently in pre-K. Yesterday, he and his father were kidnapped by ICE. This will help the family with legal services to help reunite Liam and his dad with their family.

gofund.me/be8a1b2ab

Chicagoans send 150,000 whistles to cities besieged by federal immigration agents On Friday, Emily Hilleren and Lauren Vega ferried a care package containing whistles and instructional zines to Minneapolis, the focus of the latest federal immigration action.

Holy shit the Sun-Times profiled my trip to the Twin Cities with @bibliogrrl.bsky.social!

Shout out to @mostlybree.kitrocha.com and @courtneymilan.com and @hankscorpio.bsky.social and @dansinker.com and all the incredible folks printing whistles and spreading the word.

Northwest Sider Breaks Birding Record Again — This Time With Rare Whooping Crane Sighting Norwood Park resident Tarik Shahzad spotted 296 species of birds in 2025, breaking the Cook County Birding Big Year record for the second year in a row.

He's done it again

I first wrote about Tarik Shahzad last year after he broke the Cook County birding record with 294 species

This time he did it with 296 species and his record-breaking bird was a whooping crane, an animal that was almost extinct 80 years ago

blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/15/n...

Former Resident Of South Shore Building Raided By Feds Is Now Missing, Police Say Samantha Stamps, 56, was last seen near the Central Park Pink Line stop. She's been experiencing homelessness since the building was vacated, and is known to frequent areas in North Lawndale, police s...

Samantha Stamps is missing. She has experienced homelessness since her old building — raided by feds in September — was ordered vacated by a judge due to unsafe conditions.

Stamps was last seen near the Central Park Pink Line and frequents areas in N. Lawndale. blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/14/f...

Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt Minneapolis schools closed for the week citing safety concerns after an encounter involving armed Border Patrol agents near Roosevelt High School.

Minneapolis public schools canceled classes officials after Roosevelt High School said armed Border Patrol officers came on school property during dismissal Wednesday and began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members and released chemical weapons on bystanders
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in custody The deaths came as the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement, detaining a record number of people

ICE’s public violence should be a reminder that they commit brutal acts in private facilities too.

Every report has been horrific and we only have the smallest glimpse into the horrors.

Paterno’s Pizza Gets New Owners, But 'Heart And Soul' Of Beloved NW Side Business Will Remain Three generations of Paternos ran the Jefferson Park pizzeria, which began as a liquor store in 1954. The Patel family bought the restaurant and has pledged to "respect everything that made Paterno’s ...

“It’s going to take some adjusting, but it feels good to know that this place and everything that went with this entire family is going to stay alive"

blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/07/p...